Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Chapter 5. When I opened my eyes, the sun was high in the sky.

I was surprised and sat up abruptly, but somehow the side was warm and toasty.

Ah, right.

Yesterday, while patting Lus until he fell asleep, I fell asleep just like that because of playing all day.

“Lus, why did you sleep like that there? Without using a pillow?”

“Umm... While sleeping...”

“Aigu.”

I kneaded Lus's cheek that had blanket marks.

The warm and soft texture is good.

Lus received my touch without showing dislike.

“By the way. Where's Bella? She should have come to wake us in the morning. Uuu, how long did we sleep. Completely overslept.”

“She came but I sent her away. Older sister, since you slept late yesterday, sleep more.”

When I stretched, my body felt stiff.

Having moved after a long time, the muscles of the whole body complained of pain.

When I got down from the bed, Lus also followed me down.

We found Bella cleaning my room.

And after eating the meal Bella prepared, I sat in front of the vanity.

Today, I will definitely deal with Frug.

Since I also got the male lead's permission, there was nothing to hesitate about now.

Bella combed my hair while looking at the mirror combatively and said.

“How is Madam's hair so soft like this? Do you know? Everyone is making a fuss wanting to take charge of Madam's attendance.”

“My attendance? Why?”

“Why do you think. Madam is so lovely. When you go around holding hands with the Duke, everyone swallows tears inside saying how cute. Being this close to Madam is only me, so I'm proud!”

“Is that so?”

“Yes! So you won't change to another maid, right?”

“If Bella makes me pretty today, I'll let it slide.”

“Our Madam is beautiful no matter what she does, what to do. Umm.”

Bella seemed really troubled.

Then, while I was distracted thinking about dealing with Frug, she tied my hair into twin tails.

This hairstyle, including the life before possession, is something done after several decades, so it felt quite awkward.

“Doesn't it look weird?”

When I asked while fiddling with the ends of the hair, Bella firmly shook her head.

“Not at all! You're too lovely! If you go out like this, everyone might collapse from Madam's loveliness instead?”

“Is that so...? Lus, how does it look to you?”

When I asked Lus who was waiting beside me, Lus covered his cheeks with both hands and said.

“Too pretty.”

The little one already knows how to make people's hearts happy.

Hearing the two people's words, it really seemed okay.

Right, I'm still young and this body is pretty.

When else would I do this hairstyle if not now?

Good, today it's twin tails.

I smiled contentedly and headed to the office with Lus.

Frug was sitting in the office chair today as well, looking arrogantly at me and Lus entering.

“What brings the Duke here?”

“What brings. From now on, the castle's household will be taken by me, the mistress.”

And I came to make you spit out the money you embezzled.

Thinking my words were a child's whim, Frug laughed heartily and answered.

“How complicated the castle's household is. A young child like Madam can't do it.”

“That's something we'll know after trying.”

“Madam. But Madam hasn't been married for long, and there also needs to be the Duke's permission.”

“Lus. Can I take charge of the castle's household?”

I looked at Lus who was tightly holding my hand and asked.

“Yeah! If older sister wants to do it, do it!”

“Did you hear? The Duke says if I want to do it, do it.”

“But Duke, Madam is an outsider...”

Lus cut off the man's words.

“Frug. Older sister is not an outsider. Are you defying the current Duke's order?”

How smart he is cutting sharply.

As expected of my kid.

“Duke. I am merely worrying about our family. You know how difficult the castle's household is, don't you. That it can roll even like this is all thanks to me. Handing it over to Madam is not difficult. But if it collapses completely afterward, what then?”

Frug imitated a quite excellent loyal subject.

I stepped forward and asked.

“So what you're saying is that I can't because I have no ability.”

“Yes.”

“Then if I just prove that I have the ability to take charge of the castle's household, it's fine, right? Isn't that so? How should I prove it.”

I pretended to think for a moment and said.

“How about earning one million marks within a week?”

One million marks was a large sum that an ordinary commoner would have to work a full year to earn.

“One million marks?”

A sneer formed on Frug's face.

It was clearly visible that he thought I, a young child, was bluffing.

“Good. Well, let's do that.”

Frug readily agreed.

Yes, laugh a lot now.

In a week, you won't even be able to laugh and will beg to be spared.

How dare you aim for my kid's money?* * *“Madam! Tomorrow is already the promised one week!”

I stopped reading a book to Lus and looked at Bella.

Lus who was tightly stuck next to me followed my gaze and stared at Bella.

“Yeah. I know too.”

During the one week promised with Frug, I really did nothing.

I just read books to Lus as usual, grasped the structure of the castle, and lived greeting other servants.

At my calm reaction, Bella rather felt frustrated and urged me.

“Madam! The money left after selling the jewel last time is only 50,000 marks! At this rate, Madam will lose!”

Bella shouted as if crying.

“Then Mr. Frug will scold Madam a lot! Shall I go out and earn even a little? Everyone knows that one million marks is unreasonable, but still we can't go without earning anything at all!”

“Thank you, Bella. But it's really okay.”

“But Madam!”

“Aigo, time has already passed like this! Lus! It's time to go for a walk!”

Fearing that if I stayed more I would tell Bella the entire plan, I came outside with Lus.

“Phew. Bella worries a lot. Right, Lus?”

“Yeah.”

I met eyes with Lus who knows my entire plan and smiled mischievously.

Then Lus came and held my hand.

“Yes? Lus, why?”

“Even if it goes wrong, don't worry too much, older sister. At that time, I can drive him out.”

I smiled lightly and tapped Lus's nose bridge.

“You of all people don't have to worry about me.”

“But.”

Still, sincere encouragement was always welcome to hear.

“More than that, let's take a walk. Come, where shall we go today. We went to the east last time, so shall we go west today?”

We held hands and walked around various places in the castle.

Then before we knew it, we arrived at the wide hall.

“Madam! Duke!”

The maid who was cleaning saw us and made a welcoming face.

“Hello.”

“What brings you here? I heard! That you're having a bet with Mr. Frug!”

The maid asked with a flushed face.

“Where did you hear that story?”

“I heard from Mr. Frug!”

Surely he spread the rumor with the intention of embarrassing me.

But it will rather be helpful to me.

“I'm unconditionally on Madam's side! Cheer up!”

“Thank you.”

I looked at the huge family crest hanging in the center of the hall.

The crest of a size so huge that you have to bend your entire head to see it had no joke in its force.

The sword pattern crossing the center had a noble and delicate beauty.

“It's said to symbolize that the family's progenitor helped the first Emperor defeat the Demon King who was disturbing the world and became a Duke.”

Lus who noticed that I was interested in the crest said.

“Demon King?”

“Yeah. There was one a thousand years ago, and it was extremely strong and evil, so it almost destroyed the world. What saved it was the first Emperor and the Duke Valfruga.”

“I see.”

I nodded and touched the crest as if possessed.

“Ouch!”

“Kyak! Madam! Are you okay? There's blood!”

The tender flesh was scraped on the rough surface and blood seeped out.

“It's okay. More than that, what if blood got on there?”‘Found it.’“Blood is the problem now...!”

Lus snatched my hand and shouted.

Huh. Something is strange?

Why does it seem like Lus is speaking from so far away?

The vision gradually blurred.‘Come here.’Someone called me.‘Come this way, quickly.’The sound of Lus speaking became more and more distant, but the strange voice became clearer and clearer.

A low, majestic, and powerful voice.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

The sound of the heart beating was heard.‘I've been waiting.’With that voice as the last, I lost consciousness.* * *When I opened my eyes, it was inside a dark cave.

“Where on earth is this?”

The cave was high enough for a small mountain to enter, but the front was tightly blocked by a huge ice chunk.

When I tried to touch the ice wall blocking the front, before even getting close, the cold energy felt made me hurriedly pull my hand back.

It seemed that if I touched it, I would definitely get frostbite.

Where on earth is this?

Is it a space prepared for the male lead?

Then should I bring Lus?

How do I bring him?

I hadn't seen such a story in the original.‘How do I get out of here?’No, wait a minute.‘This isn't a rock!’It was so big and huge that I thought it was a rock, but looking closely, something like fine reptile scales was visible.

It was a dragon with its body curled up.

Slowly moving my steps forward, as expected, the head of the dragon with eyes closed differently from ordinary rock was visible.

It was just so huge that I mistook it for a wall.

The dragon's body was white and transparent like ice, but a dark light like the deep sea swirled.‘What on earth is this. What should I do? Do I have to pass to get out? If I do that, it seems I'll touch that dragon.’It seems asleep, but if I touch it carelessly, I might become the dragon's meal.

Then, the voice I heard just now was heard again.

“It's dangerous if you touch it.”